Excitable Bundles of Mischief
by Sanctuaria
Summary: Helen, Ashley, and Henry in their early days together at the Sanctuary, combined with the Big Guy and Drew, Helen's current protégé. And, of course, they have some unexpected visitors! Full of the fun of Ashley and Henry's first-grade days.
1. Time Out

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, settings, events, or anything else from the TV show Sanctuary that I used for this story. It is intended as a derivative, transformative work only. No copyright infringement is intended.**

A little boy with ever-messy curly brown hair peeked over her shoulder. Helen sighed. "Henry, I thought I told you that you and Ashley you are in time-out?"

"But my room is so boring!" Henry complained. "It was an accident!" Helen inwardly sighed again, setting down her pen. "If you didn't want a time-out, you shouldn't have been messing around in the computer room. There's dangerous stuff in there! I've told you time and time again to stay off the lower levels."

"But we didn't touch anything! We didn't!" She looked down at the boy, innocence written all over his darling little face. _So the stunner walked off the shelf on its own, did it?_ she thought. He looked around at her office, hanging onto the back of her chair that he had so skillfully climbed up to see what she was working on. The walls were covered in a mixture of replicas of famous paintings and first-grade drawings. The nearest of these had been drawn by Henry, a couple of weeks ago, in blue crayon. A misshapen bunny—or as Henry would say "bumby"—filled the sheet of white paper. Ashley's was nearby, a more recognizable picture of a cat. There was a soft thump and a barely concealed giggle from behind one of the armchairs.

"All right, Ashley, come on out," Helen said, "I know you're here." The little girl's face peeked out from behind the red armchair and she promptly hid it again at the sight of her mother trying to keep a stern face. Just then, Helen realized maybe it _hadn't_ been Henry who left the stunner lying on the table. How Ashley had got it _down_, she had no idea, but the more she thought about it the surer she was that Ashley had been the culprit. _They both still went down there,_ she reminded herself, but knew it was hopeless. When it came to those two excitable bundles of mischief, she was a total pushover.

"All right," she sighed, "Time-out's over."

"Yay!" little Ashley emerged completely from behind the chair, giggling with joy. "Race you to the elevator, Henry!" She took off without waiting for his reply. He climbed down from the back of Helen's chair and sprinted after Ashley.

"Hey! That's not fa—" He cut off abruptly, crashing into the Big Guy as he came out of the elevator, carrying a tray of food, enough for the three of them.

"Humph," grunted the Big Guy as the two little ones smashed into him. He managed to keep his balance and set the tray halfway on the side table. Ashley, undeterred, bounced up to greet him.

"We're not in time-out, we're not in time-out," she chanted, swinging her arms happily.

"Pushover," the Big Guy grunted, looking amusedly at Helen. She busied herself in the paperwork on her desk, hiding her face. She would get him back for that.

Ashley's swinging arm connected with the side table, sending the contents of the tray crashing to the floor. Ashley looked up in horror at her mother. "Mommy, are we going back to time-out now?" she asked in the cute voice Helen loved so dearly.

After a moment, she replied evenly, "The Big Guy is the one who has to make breakfast again, so we'll let him decide." They all looked at the Big Guy, waiting for his decision. Henry and Ashley made their best puppy dog eyes for him. He grunted self-consciously.

"All right, get going," he grunted. He pushed them both out the door. They ran down the hall, laughing.

"Pushover," Helen said from where she sat at her desk.


	2. Produce Aisle

**Okay, next chapter! Thanks so much Stardawn19, Mellow girl, and cabinet of curiosities for your reviews!**

Helen pushed the shopping cart down the aisle, Ashley following behind and Henry holding on tightly to her hand. She could not believe she was doing this. This was what a normal mother did with her children, took them grocery shopping. When she had announced her plans to her protégé at the staff meeting this morning, he had completely flipped.

"_What do you mean, you're taking Ashley and Henry grocery shopping?" Drew asked. Drew sported a broken arm from their last mission, and was a little sore that she had taken him off the mission list until it healed._

"_Them. Me. Safeway," she answered._

"_Dr. Magnus," he said. She hated when he used that formality, which was whenever he addressed her. Magnus, or Doctor would be just fine. "Dr. Magnus" took too long for him to get to the point, which already took long enough already. "Dr. Magnus," he said again, "Are you feeling all right?"_

"_I just want to take Ashley and Henry shopping," Helen replied, "What's so wrong with that?"_

"_What's so wrong with that?" That was another one of Drew's habits she didn't like. He constantly repeated other people statements when he didn't agree with something. Often, he did it twice, each time with rising volume. "What's so wrong with that? Dr. Magnus, are you listening to yourself? You never go shopping!"_

"_Then it's about time I start," she answered, picking up her brown purse from the chair and standing up. That was the truth, though. She went shopping only very rarely, and most likely never had while Drew was her protégé. All their food and supplies were shipped directly to the Sanctuary's doorstep, and she had enough clothes to last her a lifetime. The last time she went off Sanctuary grounds not on a mission—besides dropping Ashley and Henry off at school and picking them up, which she and the Big Guy shared the task of—was two years ago. She had no idea who the latest pop star was, but would most likely find out as soon as the two kids reached middle school. That time was a long way away, though, and she had to get through one thing at a time. "I can go shopping if I like, Drew."_

"_Are you feeling okay, Dr. Magnus?" he asked again, peering at her. He had been overly concerned with her health after the disaster of a mission a week ago when she had been bitten by a hallucination-inducing rattlesnake in the Mojave Desert near the Nevada border. _

"_Mommy! Mommy!" Ashley burst into the room, pink backpack on her shoulders and blonde hair flying everywhere. "Mommy, we're going to be late for school!" _

"_It's Saturday, silly," Helen told her daughter, "No school on Saturdays. Unless you want to go to school, I can arrange—"_

"_No, no," Ashley cried, laughing and throwing her backpack off. Henry came in, his blue backpack still mounted on his shoulders. _

"_Ash, what're you doing? We need to get to school!" he said. _

"_It's Saturday," Drew said. Helen had almost forgotten he was here. Almost. _

_Henry's mouth opened into a little "o" and he let his backpack fall to the floor. He kicked it away. "What are we going to do instead?" he asked. _

"_We're going shopping," Helen told them. _

"_Yay, shopping!" They danced around the conference room excitedly. Drew sighed and left the room, muttering something about hallucinations. It wasn't until the group reached the car that they asked, "Mommy, what's shopping?"_

"Mommy, can I have this?" Ashley's voice interrupted her trip down memory lane. She stopped the cart and, Henry still holding tight to her hand, went over to the shelf Ashley was squatting by, a few paces away. She took the package of pasta from her daughter's little hand.

"Of course, sweetie, I can cook this up for dinner tonight. Or the Big Guy can make his pasta."

"You make. Big Guy puts smell-funny thing in his pasta," Henry said, voiced muffled as he buried his face in Helen's sleeve as a stranger walked by.

"Yeah, smelly-thingie," Ashley agreed with whom she considered her brother. Helen had found Henry and treated him like a son. Ashley was too young to know the difference.

"What, the sage?" Helen asked, "It's what makes the pasta taste good."

"How can something funny smelling make something taste good?" Henry wanted to know. To that, the great Helen Magnus had no answer.

"It just does, Henry, trust me," she replied. He frowned as they went back to the cart she and dropped the pasta in. "Do you see anything you want, Henry?" she asked. He slowly let go of her hand to go look at sauces a few feet ahead. Helen stopped the cart as he knelt down to look. Ashley was running up and down the aisle, looking at everything in their brightly colored packages. _We have to do this more often,_ Helen realized, watching her daughter.

"Mommy…Mommy, I need help!" Henry called. Helen quickly turned back to see what was wrong. His little hands were wrapped around a large jar of spaghetti sauce and he was struggling to pick it up. He staggered a few steps with it until Helen came to his rescue. She was amazed he'd gotten it this far; it was easily a third of the size of his body. _It was be his physiology,_ the scientist inside her said, _I wonder how far he can get with it…_but she crushed it down and resumed being a mother. Helen took the heavy jar from his hands and set it in the cart next to the pasta. Henry relaxed a little and followed his sister, who had paused by the candy bin. Her blue eyes were round; she had never seen so much candy before.

"Please, please, Mommy, can we get some?" Ashley pleaded. Henry looked up at her.

"All right," she replied, "One small bag each." They rarely ever got candy, and she wasn't going to deny them this on their very first shopping trip. Their eyes glowed and she helped them pick out their candy. Ashley's bag was full of various shades of her favorite color, pink, while Henry's contained more of a variety. Candy in hand—although she had to explain that they couldn't eat it yet until she paid for it—they followed her willingly around the store while she picked up other necessary items. She watched them very carefully in the produce section, remembering the very first time Henry and Ashley had become friends.

It had been a few weeks after Helen had found Henry on the moors and brought him back to the Sanctuary. He was terrified of everything there, even the Big Guy. He often wouldn't even accept Helen's help for things, and more than once she found him curled up in a corner of his room at night instead of in bed sleeping, quaking with fear. Helen had begun to wonder if he would ever adjust to his new environment. Ashley had been just as puzzled. At four, she wanted someone to play with, but Henry hid from her as well. Then one night, a loud crash in the kitchen had brought Helen running. It was nine o'clock, way past their bedtime. There was a high-pitched giggle from her daughter as Helen rounded the corner, and an unknown yelp of indignation rang out. There was a splat and the shriek of a little girl that soon dissolved into laughter. She rushed into the room to find the walls splattered with red juice. The Big Guy ran in the opposite door, trying to find the source of the commotion. Henry threw a tomato from the giant bin at the Big Guy and it exploded against his face, coating him in red goo. That was the very start of his friendship, and Henry seemed to fit in after that.

So now Helen watched them carefully, but luckily they stayed far away from the tomatoes.

"All right, come on, let's go," she told them. Ashley's bag of candy swung from her right hand as she hurried ahead. There was almost no line and they got out of there quickly.

"Mommy, when we get home can we play a board game?" Henry asked as they walked out the doors into the parking lot.

"Sure," she agreed.

"I want to play…I want to play…" Ashley's little brow furrowed. "Mommy, what games do we have?"

"We have—" Helen stopped as a figure hailed her from across the parking lot.

"Dr. Magnus!" Now she knew who it was. Drew came toward her. "There's been a sighting of the rare abnormal you were trying to find…the fuzzy beetle thing…down on Montevideo Avenue."

Helen sighed. "All right, I'll get on over there. You sent a team down there already?" Drew nodded. "Take the children home to the Sanctuary." She turned to Ashley and Henry, who were watching with wide eyes. "Ashley, Henry, Mommy has to do something. Go home with Drew; he'll drive you."

"I thought we were going to play a game," Henry said softly.

"We will tomorrow," Helen promised. He turned and trudged sadly towards Drew's car, Ashley following behind. Helen watched them go, just as unhappy as they were.

"Dr. Magnus," Drew said.

"Mmm?" she said, still watching them go.

"The beetle thing?"

"Right," she said pulling herself together. "This should only take a couple of hours." She turned, got into her car, and started the engine. _Why does every time I try to spend with my children get interrupted? _she thought silently. She struck the dashboard angrily as she headed out on the open highway to Montevideo Avenue.

**Aww, sad ending, I know, right? I tried so hard to keep things light... Okay, next chapter will be happier, I promise.**


	3. Against Her Better Judgment

**Thanks for all the reviews everyone! Maybe, as a reward, I can convince Ashley and Henry to share some of their candy with you…**

**And yes, I know how much we all hate these when they do them in the episode - **93 DAYS AGO

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy—" Helen scooped her daughter up into her arms.

"What is it Ashley?"

"Christmas! Christmas is only one hundred days away!" Helen laughed. "Can we go see Santa? Can we set up a tree? Can we hang up stockings? Can we—"

"It's a little early yet, sweetie," Helen told her excited daughter.

"When can we then? Tomorrow?" Ashley wriggled out of her mother's arms and bounced around on the floor. "Saturday?"

"I'll tell you what," Helen squatted down by her daughter, "When there's six days until Christmas left, you can wake me as _early_ as you want and we'll spend the whole day preparing." The little girl's eyes were round.

"The _whole_ day?"

"The _whole_ day," Helen promised. Drew could take care of the Sanctuary for twenty-four hours, and hopefully nothing mean and nasty would attack during that time period. "But right now I have to talk to Drew. Why don't you and Henry and Charlene go play for today?"

"Okay," Ashley agreed, running off down the hallway. Charlene, an intern at the Sanctuary, was studying to be a biologist focusing on the behavior of abnormals. She was already excellent with all manner of creatures, and seemed to know how to calm them down when they were fearful. Besides this, she was also great with children and enjoyed keeping them amused while Helen worked. _I don't know what I would do without her,_ Helen reflected.

26 DAYS AGO

"Dr. Magnus," Drew called. Darn, she thought she was going to get out a little early today.

"Yes?" she turned to face her protégé.

"I was wondering if I could have Friday off," he told her. Oh. If that was all, she would be out of here in no time.

"Yes, of course…assuming all your filing's up to date," she answered.

"Oh it will be," he promised, smiling, "I'm going to finish it up now."

"Okay," she nodded, itching to be going, but not wishing to seem rude.

"Oh, yeah, the umm…umm…" he snapped his fingers, trying to remember, "umm…"

"I'm sure you'll think of it later," she said, "but I have to go get Ashley and Henry out of Charlene's hair."

He nodded. "Those two can be a handful."

"You know where to find me, if you remember what it was." Helen turned and continued on her way.

"Oh! I remember. Scariambraboibydumbaski is waiting for you in the main lab. He's swimming in circles and seems quite agitated."

"Tell _Scarimbondomski_ I'll be there as soon as I can," she said pointedly. He never could get the merman's name right. Even Henry, who couldn't pronounce "bunny", got closer than him, with "Scarimybontomsky." Ashley had it almost perfect when she tried, but she preferred to call him Scariski, which was easier to say. Though Helen had no patience with nicknames, especially for names as easy as Scarimbondomski, she had told Drew time and time again to just use Scariski, but he was even more a stickler for real names than she was. He insisted on using the full name, and butchering it, for the resident merman every time.

Shouts of laughter filled her ears as Helen neared the room in which Charlene, Ashley, and Henry were playing. She pushed open the door and Ashley tackled her legs in a bear hug. Charlene was sitting in a chair on one end of the room, watching the other side. As soon as the door had opened, she had jumped up.

"Dr. Magnus," she greeted her, "Hello again! You're here early!"

"I thought you might enjoy retiring from babysitting early," Helen smiled at the younger woman.

"That's…that's…thanks!" she stammered.

"Where's Henry?" Helen asked, glancing around near where Charlene was sitting.

"Oh, he's just playing with Doofie," Charlene said, pointing towards the other end of the room.

"Doofi—?" Helen asked as she looked across the room.

"Yeehaw!" Henry yelled, clutching the back of a young stenopelhabbilis with one hand and twirling a makeshift lasso in the other.

"Henry!" Helen gasped. The stenopelhabbilis ran down the center of the room, Charlene cheering when it reached her end. Henry slipped off its back and ran over to greet his mother.

"Hi Mommy! This is Doofie. We can ride him. Charlene said so! Wanna try?" he asked, jumping up and down.

"Uh…no, I think…_Doofie_…has to go back home now," Helen replied. She scooped up the wriggling stenopelhabbilis and shoved him back in his carrier.

"Aww, Mommy…" Ashley whined, "I didn't get my turn after Henry!" Adrenaline coursed through her. Ashley and Henry could have been killed! It was a rare baby abnormal, not a rocking horse! What was Charlene thinking? Helen turned on the other woman.

"A word, Charlene…outside?" Helen's voice was carefully controlled. Charlene seemed to guess Helen's reaction and dipped her head smoothly, setting her papers and pen aside. Once safely outside and down the hallway enough so Ashley and Henry wouldn't hear, Helen asked, her voice dangerously soft, "What part of your _demented_ mind thought it would be safe for two first-graders to ride a baby stenopelhabbilis?"

"Dr. Magnus, I've worked with Doofie all my career. He's perfectly gentle and harmless!"

"They could have been killed! Or—or trampled, or it could have suddenly mauled them, or—"

"With all due respect," Charlene spat out the words, "_Dr._ Magnus, I think you're forgetting that these are not monsters. They are _abnormals_. Or are you changing your policy now?"

"I—" The word "monster" struck Helen to the core, and made her remember where she was. "I—I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that; I was just worried about their safety."

"Quite understandable," Charlene nodded, "but I assure you, there's no danger. I'm right there, with them all the time. And they simply _adore_ Doofie—Ashley named him—more than any other thing I have given them to amuse themselves."

Still breathing hard from her outburst, Helen walked back towards the unused room that had somehow become the play room. She pushed open the door. Henry had figured out how to release the complex lock on the carrier cage door and had freed Doofie again. Ashley's arms were wrapped around the plump stenopelhabbilis, which was lounging on the carpet, its eyes half closed. Helen realized Ashley was asleep. She watched them for a second, and was startled when Henry tapped her leg.

"Mommy," he whispered, "Please don't take Doofie away. We love him." Helen looked back at the sleeping form of Ashley cuddled up next to Doofie and a smile smile played on her lips.

Against her better judgment, the words slipped out. "I won't," she promised, picking Henry up.

"Mommy?" he asked again.

"Yes?"

"Can we have a sleepover with Doofie tonight?" Helen glanced down at Ashley. Her eyes were closed, and she was sleeping peacefully. "Charlene already said she would stay with us."

She looked at Charlene who nodded. Helen sighed inwardly. "I'll go get some blankets," she told Henry.

**So, review and tell me what you think! Did Helen make the right choice, letting them continue to play with Doofie? Should she trust Charlene's judgment? Will she really be able to spend the whole day decorating with Ashley six days before Christmas? **

**In case you did the math, yes, that's tomorrow. Guess when I'll post the next chapter! :) **


	4. Six Days 'Til Christmas

**Hi all. Okay, chapter 4! Didn't exactly go as planned, but oh well...**

Helen sighed and closed the last file folder on her desk and set it aside. That was it for the night. It was late, but she noticed as she walked by Drew's light was still on. She knocked gently on the door, but no one answered. She opened it a little to find him fast asleep on his bed, pen askew beside him. She smiled and turned off the light. The electricity bill was too high for this place already. She softly closed the door and headed for her own bedroom. She changed and got ready for bed, propping herself up on a pillow to read a book. Helen refused to waste a single minute of her day, so it wasn't until she was so tired she couldn't keep her eyes open any more that she set the book on the nightstand and turned off the light. Her head hit the pillow and she was fast asleep.

The giant grandfather clock boomed out twelve notes. Helen had been meaning to either replace or get of the rickety old thing; most likely it would find a place in the catacombs. Ashley sat up in bed as the last boom reverberated around the Sanctuary. "Henry," she whispered urgently, "Wake up!" He didn't move. She prodded him experimentally with her finger. Still no movement. She took her pillow and whacked him on the head with it.

"'S goin' on?" he muttered, words blurred with sleep.

"It's six days until Christmas, Henry!" Henry rolled over and went back to sleep. Ashley rolled her eyes and hopped out of bed. Her little feet pattered across the cold floor and she shivered. She went over to where her jacket hung, but it was too high for her to reach. Oh well. Mommy would dress her properly later. She jumped up to reach the door handle and opened it quietly. Ashley slipped out of the room and went to her mother's, just a little way down the corridor. Ashley opened her mother's door and peeked cautiously in.

Helen twitched as the door creaked open. Suddenly she was wide awake, and in survival mode. She snatched the knife from her bedside table and held it tightly. Then she saw her daughter peeking in the doorway and relaxed. "What is it, Ashley?" she asked sleepily. Ashley padded over to the side of her mother's bed and perched on the edge.

"It's time, Mommy," she whispered.

Helen frowned. "Time for sleep, yes."

"No!" Ashley said. Helen shushed her daughter.

"Shh! Don't wake anyone up. Time for what?"

"Decorating!" Helen squinted at the clock. 12:04. "You said I could wake you up whenever I wanted six days before Christmas. Charlene helped me count the days." She held up six fingers. "It's six days until Christmas. Come on, let's go, Mommy. You promised!" Ashley tugged on her mother's sleeve, trying to pull her out of bed. Helen pushed herself into a sitting position and yawned.

"So I did, so I did," she murmured. She yawned again, and then slid her legs out of the bed and stood up with a stretch. "All right, Ashley, but you have to be quiet and get dressed first."

After they were both dressed, Helen asked her daughter, "Okay, what do you want to do first."

"Tree!" Ashley cried.

"That's a bit loud, sweetie, why don't we do that later with Henry and Drew?"

"Okay…" Ashley thought a bit, "Cookies?"

"Okay," Helen agreed. "Go get the recipe book and pick a type of cookie to make." Ashley ran off towards the kitchen and Helen followed, pausing to check that Henry was sleeping soundly. He was, and Helen joined her daughter in the kitchen. She had opened a cookbook and was pointing to a picture.

"Sugar cookies?" Helen asked. Ashley nodded. Helen got the ingredients out from the cupboards and set them on the counter. Ashley brought out a large metal bowl.

Making the dough for sugar cookies took four hours, with Ashley causing more chaos than actually helping but it was fun for them both anyway. _Well, maybe not when I had to clean egg of the wall, but still…_ Helen thought. She stuck the bowl in the refrigerator to sit for a day.

"What are you doing Mommy?" Ashley asked.

"They have to sit for a while, Ashley," she answered.

"Why?"

"They won't turn out right otherwise," Helen replied. "Tomorrow we can cut them into Christmas shapes and bake them."

"Can we frost them?"

"Yes, frost them too," Helen smiled at her daughter.

"And sprinkles!" Ashley burst out.

"Ashley! Henry and Drew and the Big Guy are still sleeping!"

"Sorry," Ashley glanced towards the doorway, as if to make sure no angry Drew was coming in to punish her. "I'm hungry."

"Breakfast?" Helen offered.

"Pancakes?"

"Pancakes," Helen agreed, preparing a pan. She mixed together a pancake batter and soon there were three pancakes sizzling on the pan. Ashley watched, wide-eyed, but was careful not to touch the pan. She had on a dare with Henry half a year ago, and had thoroughly learned her lesson. Helen flipped them over to let them brown on the other side. She flipped one onto Ashley's plate with her spatula and set it on the table for her.

"Pancakes?" A sleepy Henry stood in the doorway, rubbing his eyes. She put another on a plate for him and handed it to him.

"What're you doing up so early?" she asked as he sat down at the table.

"Pancakes," he said in answer. She set glasses of milk in front of both of them and started the next batch of pancakes.

"Is that pancakes I smell, Dr. Magnus?" Drew came in. Helen laughed and handed him the last one and flipped the second batch over. "Thanks," he replied, going to sit at the table.

When they had all eaten, Ashley pushed them right into their next activity.

"Tree!" she said, pointing at the elevator.

"…We're not going to put a tree in the elevator," Drew said uncertainly, "There isn't enough room." Ashley frowned and pointed toward the elevator again with renewed force.

"She wants us to go _in_ the elevator," Henry informed them. They all trooped in and Ashley pressed the button, taking them down to the foyer. Just then, the doorbell rang. Henry sprinted to get it, and tugged on the door hard before remembering to unlock it. He flipped the lock and pulled hard again. The door stuck. That was another thing Helen was planning to get fixed. He gave it a strong jerk with his little body and toppled backward as it swung in violently. The Big Guy stood in the doorway, holding a tree.

"Thought you might be needing this," he offered it to her. Henry tugged on her skirt as she went to help the Big Guy bring the tree in.

"Mommy," he whispered. She had often wondered why Henry called her "Mommy." She was pretty sure he understood she was not his real mother. Maybe it was because she took care of him, or because that was what Ashley called her; he had modeled his behavior on hers when he first came to the Sanctuary (lots of chaos). "Mommy," he whispered, tugging harder. She looked down at him. "The door doesn't like me." Helen burst out laughing, and Henry demanded, "What?" Drew chortled and the Big Guy made the grunting sound deep in his throat that Helen had learned to interpret as laughter. Though it had been a whisper, everyone heard. Ashley went over to the door and stroked it.

"Nice door," she cooed, "Pretty door." She turned triumphantly to Henry. "See? It's just you it doesn't like." Henry harrumphed and turned away.

"Okay, let's get this tree set up," Helen cut in to avoid any further arguing.

The Big Guy brought in a couple more trees and set them in the corners of the room. Ashley pulled open a box of ornaments and started hanging them on the tree. Henry called the lights and Helen the star on top. Drew helped Ashley place a particularly high ornament. In the merriment, Helen hadn't noticed the Big Guy had left before he returned with at least a dozen abnormals. They were all of the same species, all from a colony whose territory had been destroyed. They were about a foot tall, and had large multicolored butterfly wings. The Big Guy showed them to a box full of lights and a long garland. They took the garland up and draped it around the ceiling. Next they intertwined it with the colorful lights. The Big Guy plugged them into the wall and they glowed.

"Decorate, Mommy!" Ashley demanded her attention.

"Yeah, sorry, Ashley," Helen said, picking up an ornament and hanging it on the tree. She had been standing there watching the abnormals for almost ten minutes.

"Mmmommmmmmmmmyyyy," Henry whined, "Help me!" She looked over to see him hopelessly entangled in the lights he was trying to set up. Helen and Drew looked at each other and laughed. It took almost another hour to untangle poor little Henry from all those lights, and then another fifteen minutes to put them on the tree. Henry, however, insisted on plugging them in.

"Ow!" he cried, still holding the plug in his hands, "It…it…zapped me!"

"That'll teach you not to go sticking your hand in power outlets," Drew told him.

"Henry, are you okay?" Helen squatted down by him.

"It zapped me!" He held up his finger for Helen to see. It looked okay, just a little red. Helen gave it a quick kiss to make it feel better and he was back up in no time. Drew smiled as Henry successfully inserted the plug into the outlet and the lights came on.

"Okay, turn off the lights!" he called. A second later, they flicked off and the trees emanated a soft glow of colors. Red, blue, yellow, green, and white glanced off the walls, giving a relaxed, but festive, homey feel to the room. Their work done, the flying abnormals zoomed out the door as Ashley sleepily placed her head on Helen's knee, still watching the lights flicker across the ceiling high above. Slowly, slowly, her eyes closed an she fell asleep.

**Review and I'll have Magnus and Ashley send you some sugar cookies! :)**


	5. Christmas Day

**Yes, I do realize Christmas is well over. :( But at least I got this chaoter out to you guys! My life's been pretty hectic since Christmas, so please forgive the lapse. Okay, apology done, read!**

Helen relaxed in the armchair. Drew sat in the opposite, sipping out of a glass wine occasionally. Ashley and Henry were asleep (or at least she hoped they were) in their beds. The clock above the mantel struck eleven. The fire crackled in the fireplace. Helen Magnus smiled. _This is how Christmases should be_, she thought, _peaceful…relaxed._ Drew glanced over at her. He took another sugar cookie from the tray on the table and bit into it. The frosting was messily done, but Ashley and Henry had got bored of frosting cookie after cookie and Helen and the Big Guy had done most of them. Of course, Ashley and Henry had insisted on eating the pretty ones.

Henry turned out to be an excellent sprinkler, however, as long as Helen stopped him from eating too many sprinkles by themselves. Even so, Drew had had to go out and buy another container of sprinkles in order to have enough.

They had opened presents this morning in the foyer (Henry's choice), and of course a wrapping paper fight had ensued right after. It had all started when Doofie, the stenopelhabbilis, had run into the room and dug through the wrapping paper. Wrapping paper flew up and landed on Henry's head, who thought Ashley had thrown it. He balled up the paper into a wad and chucked it at Ashley. He missed, but Ashley took it as an act of war. Helen and Charlene had quickly chosen sides—Helen with Henry and Charlene with Ashley—and chaos broke out. Drew dove under the tree to escape from Henry's well-thrown ball, which hit him in the foot anyway. Consequently, Drew popped his head out and threw one at Helen, who laughed and hurled one back. It bounced off the tree branches, however. Drew stuck out his tongue at Helen and the Big Guy joined her to even the sides. He lifted the whole tree with a roar and set it aside. Drew, cover gone, was tackled by little Henry. Meanwhile, Ashley and Charlene had disappeared to get some better ammo. There they found the perfect throwing weapon: eggs.

But Helen had the same idea. She missed Charlene and Ashley by only a few seconds, and the kitchen had been empty when she had entered. She took the carton of eggs down and opened it, wondering why there was only one carton now. Originally there had been a container of hard boiled eggs—Drew's favorite—and a container of regular eggs. Helen took three eggs in her left hand and one in her right, ready to throw. She hurried back to the foyer just in time to see Ashley hurl an egg at Henry. To Ashley's surprise and confusion, the egg bounced off Henry's head and fell on the floor. Henry tossed a ball of wrapping paper at her, conking her in the head. Charlene looked at the eggs in her hands, realizing what they were. Helen laughed from behind them and her first egg caught Ashley in the back of the head. Gooey yolk dripped down from Ashley's head, but the girl just laughed and threw a hard-boiled egg at her mother. Helen blocked the egg, forgetting the egg in her hand. It cracked, oozing yolk down Helen's hand.

_And it just escalated from there_, Helen smiled, remembering. _This has got to be the best Christmas ever. But then again, I say this every year._ The fire crackled in the fireplace as the Big Guy walked in. He tended the fire and laughed in his own way, gesturing at Drew. Helen looked over at the young man. He had fallen asleep and his half-full wine glass was listing dangerously. Helen laughed as the Big Guy gently took it from his grasp. Drew's eyes popped open.

"Wine stealer!" he whispered indignantly. They all laughed.

**Review! (Or Helen will throw an egg at you!)**


	6. School Trouble

**Hi everyone! New chapter! Hope you enjoy!**

"What?" Helen asked, "How could that happen?"

"I don't know," Drew responded, "All I know is that the school called a few minutes ago."

"Get the keys," Helen ordered, grabbing her coat off the back of the chair. As it was early April, it was slowly drizzling outside. Helen wondered what could be wrong. Was it Ashley? Helen knew she was often impulsive and stand-offish. Or was it Henry? He was very sensitive. Helen and Drew rushed to the car and she pulled out of the driveway at a reckless pace.

"Slow down a bit, Dr. Magnus," Drew advised, placing a calming hand on her arm. "I'm sure they're all right."

_I'm not_, Helen thought, but did as he asked. When it came to her children, he was always the more level-headed one in these types of situations. Five minutes later than she would have liked to, they pulled into the parking lot of GoldenCherry Elementary school. Helen practically ran up the stone steps. Drew beside her, she walked into the office.

"Hello," said the secretary behind the desk.

"Good afternoon," Helen replied, "I'm here about one of my children, Ashley Magnus or Henry Foss."

"Oh, yes," the lady said, pushing her chair back and standing up. "Right this way, please."

"What happened?" Helen asked.

"Ashley got into a fight with another student at lunch this morning," the secretary told her.

"What was it about?" Drew asked.

"Neither of them would tell the principal," she answered, "The girls used to be best friends, according to other students." She opened the door to the principal's office and gestured them inside.

"Miss Magnus," the principal said, gesturing for her to sit down.

"Dr.," she corrected automatically.

"Sorry, Dr. Magnus," he said. "I'm Robert Barlay. Rob. I tell all the kids to call me that, too, I think it promotes good communication."

"That is a very interesting concept," Drew said. Rob nodded with a smile.

"Now," he said, "Ashley. She's only in first grade, so there will be no serious consequences. The school psychologist has already talked to her, and we ask you to do the same. She's apologized to the girl, but this shouldn't ever happen again."

"What, happened, exactly?" Helen asked.

"The staff and I aren't sure. The fight had already started before one of the older students alerted us to it. Neither of them will tell any of us what happened."

"I understand," Helen replied.

"We also think it would be best if she left school early today. Aida," he called, "Bring her in."

The secretary opened the door and steered Ashley in, hands on her shoulders. Ashley meekly walked to her mother's side as Helen stood to go.

"Thank you, Rob," she said, "I'm sorry for all the trouble this has caused." Drew followed the pair out as the principal shut the door behind them. It wasn't until they were all seated in the car that Helen spoke.

"Do you want to explain what happened at school today, Ashley?"

Ashley was silent. Helen waited. Finally, Ashley said quietly, "She said I was lying."

"Lying about what?" Helen asked incredulously.

"She said you weren't really a doctor for monsters," Ashley pouted.

"_Ashley_!" Helen reprimanded sharply. "Do not use that word _ever_! There are no such things as monsters. We'll talk more about this later. I have a budget meeting in five minutes. Go to your room and stay there."

**~~o0o~~**

Ashley sat with her arms folded on her bed and stared at the bookshelf across the room. Helen softly opened the door and sat down next to her daughter.

"Ashley," she sighed quietly, "Fighting isn't the answer. Fighting's never the answer."

"But she said you weren't really a doctor for monsters," Ashley said. "She said I was lying."

"I know, honey. She shouldn't have said you were lying. But next time, don't fight her. She's entitled to her own opinion. Promise me, Ashley, next time you won't start a fight?"

"I promise," Ashley said, "But she was my friend. Why didn't she believe me?"

"Ashley, I have to tell you something. Most people…they don't believe in abnormals."

"Why?" Ashley wanted to know, "They're there!"

"Just like you don't believe in the tooth fairy, sweetie," Helen replied.

"That's because I caught the Big Guy taking my teeth. His hairy arms tickled my nose!"

Helen laughed, but sobered quickly. She'd hoped she wouldn't have to have this talk with Ashley until she was much older. Ten, perhaps. But now she could see she should've had it sooner. "They don't know abnormals exist," Helen told her daughter. "My work here is a secret."

"A secret?" Ashley asked, her eyes wide.

"Yes, honey. That's why you can't tell anyone. If we tell anyone, abnormals might get hurt."

"Even my best friend?"

"Even her. I know it's hard Ashley, but it's necessary. Okay?"

"Yes, Mommy," Ashley nodded. "I can keep a secret. Like Henry's. He broke that glass d—" She clapped a hand over her mouth.

Helen smiled. So that was who broke the glass deer sitting on her desk. It had been a gift from John Muir, the naturalist.

"Can I go now, Mommy?" Ashley asked, sliding off her bed onto the floor. Helen nodded and walked to the door. Hopefully, Ashley understood now and would never instigate a fight again. Helen wondered if she and the girl would go back to being friends. She doubted it. Ashley was known to hold grudges for years.

"Henry's home from school," she informed her daughter, "I'm sure he's wondering where you were." Thank goodness I only have one feisty child, Helen thought inwardly. At least I don't have him getting into fights too.

"Oh no," Ashley said, skipping off down the hallway, "Henry's the one who started it."

**:) Review please!**


	7. Nightmares

**Picked up the remnants of this story again. Can't promise an update past this soon, but I definitely will post more someday! (Whenever I have an idea.)**

A midnight shriek echoed through the Sanctuary. Helen sat straight up in bed. She would know that voice anywhere. Even in her sleep. Ashley. She slipped quietly out of bed and unlocked her bedroom door hurriedly. She carelessly let it bang as she practically ran two doors down the hall into the room Ashley and Henry shared.

Ashley was thrashing on the bed and Henry was balled up under the covers, clearly shaking in fear. Helen went over to her daughter's bed. Just another nightmare. She felt like breathing a sigh of relief. She had been convinced one of the abnormals had gotten loose or John had finally found them.

Helen smoothed Ashley's hair as the little girl's body curled toward hers, seeking warmth and comfort. Henry slowly peeked out from under the covers.

"Another nightmare, darling?" Helen asked gently.

Ashley nodded yes, still too terrified to speak. The door creaked open and the Big Guy stepped inside, carrying an armful of firewood. He placed it in the fireplace that was seldom ever used in this room, and soon had a cheery fire burning brightly, spreading its light and warmth throughout the room. Henry had visibly relaxed when her old friend had walked into the room, and, with a semi-comforting slap on Henry's head, the Big Guy left the room.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Helen asked. She didn't know how Drew and the others didn't wake up when Ashley screamed. Maybe they were just used to strange noises in the night... They didn't have her motherly instincts.

"You were leaving me, Mommy, and then you were eaten by a big slug thing with three eyes!" Ashley whimpered.

"I'm all right, darling, see? Not...eaten," Helen reassured her daughter.

**~~o0o~~**

She's only six! Helen exclaimed to herself. I was haunted by nightmares of John when I was fifty! She shouldn't be having them at all, definitely not so soon!

Deep down, another feeling jarred her even more: guilt. She knew she had chosen to stay in this environment to raise her child. She knew the risks…but she never dreamed of the effect it would have on the child at such a tender age. It was all her fault. Maybe if she didn't live a floor above abnormals. Maybe if Helen was around more. Maybe if she spent more time with her daughter...

All this and more ran rampant through Helen's head as she drove. She didn't notice the speedometer slowly increasing.

That was it. I'm taking her to a psychiatrist. The best. Dr. Brown. He still owed her one and he was very skilled in his field.

She recklessly spun the car around without bothering to slow down, leaving behind only a puff of exhaust from her engine, skid tracks, and a long screech.

Ashley did not frown, but merely looked puzzled as her mother greeted her outside her classroom. "I thought the Big Guy was going to pick me up…" she told her mother. Even at six, Ashley was very intuitive and could tell something was…amiss. Her mother wasn't here to spend more time with her. It was something else. Something was…wrong.

"Where are we going, Mommy?" Ashley asked as soon as she had fastened her seatbelt and Helen had gone past the usual street to get home.

"Somewhere special. There's someone I want you to meet," Helen answered, glancing into the mirror to look at her daughter.

"Why?" Ashley wanted to know.

"I think he may be able up help stop your nightmares," Helen replied.

"But why can't you stop them?" Ashley asked sweetly, "Aren't you a doctor? The best in the world?"

"Now, who told you that?" Helen laughed. There was no way she would ever tell her child that. Especially since it wasn't true.

"Charlene," Ashley replied, looking out the window at the trees whizzing by, "After I asked you why you went away a lot and didn't have a lot of time. And why sometimes you lock us in the library when those loud noises are going off. There are no good books to read in there. And a lot of them smell funny."

"I believe the word you are looking for, dear, is musty," Helen began, "And Charlene is right. I am a very successful doctor. People need me. Abnormals need me. Oh, if I could spend more time with you and Henry, darling, I would!"

"Then Henry and I should sleep during the day and be with you at night. You don't work at night, do you, Mommy?"

"Sometimes," Helen answered. "But then when would I sleep?"

Ashley's brow furrowed. "During the budget meetings. They're boring."

Helen laughed. "Yes, they are, aren't they?"

"Then why do you have them, Mommy?"

"Because they're necessary, Ashley," Helen answered, "And I suppose I like boring Drew to death, too."

Ashley smiled, then frowned as the car turned the corner into a parking lot. "Are we here?"

"Yes," Helen answered, unbuckling her seatbelt.

Once they were out of the car, they walked up the sidewalk and through the large glass double doors. The reception room was neat and organized, and the lady behind the desk was very cheery. Helen took that as a good sign. Dr. Brown hadn't changed in the last, oh, seven years since she'd seen him.

"Hello there, welcome to Brown Psychiatrics. How can I help you?" the receptionist asked.

"My daughter has an appointment today, for three thirty," Helen answered with a smile.

"Last name?" the lady asked, typing into the computer.

"Magnus," Helen replied.

"Okay." There was a pause. "Ashley, right?" she addressed the girl.

"Yes," Ashley replied boldly.

"Dr. Brown will see you now," the receptionist said. "Ms. Magnus, if you'll wait out here?"

"Of course," Helen answered, slightly uncomfortable with leaving Ashley with Dr. Brown by herself.

"Right this way," the receptionist led Ashley into the elevator. The metal doors shut and Helen settled herself down in an armchair. She had half a mind to turn her cell phone off. She wanted to talk with the doctor after, not be whisked away to some pseudo emergency at the Sanctuary. But the last time she had done that, well, the westernmost building of the Sanctuary burned down. If she had but picked up the phone and told her one-day new protégé, Drew, where the fire extinguisher was, there would have been a large, well stocked, emergency armory in the building. Instead there was a pile of ashes long since blown away by the wind.

Helen sat, lost in thought, for the full forty-five minutes of Ashley's session. Finally, Ashley came out holding a cookie in one hand and a diary in another. Helen raised an eyebrow but was immediately called in by Dr. Brown before she could talk to her daughter about what had transpired.

Dr. Brown's office had no windows. No pictures. No artwork. No color, except for the matching mahogany desk and chairs. Nothing to distract you from the conversation.

Dr. Brown smiled. "Hello, Helen," he greeted her. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Indeed it has," Helen said, just as warmly.

"Now, down to business," he said, opening up a thin file folder. It had exactly two sheets of paper in it, one of which Helen recognized as being Ashley's medical records. The other was filled with Dr. Brown's scribbling of notes from their first session. "You said on the phone that Ashley has recently had several episodes of traumatic nightmares?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered.

"You know this is not uncommon for children her age."

"I do," Helen said, "But I wanted to be sure there was nothing irregular." She forced a light laugh. "I guess I just wanted to be sure that I'm a good parent."

"From my discussion with Ashley, she seemed like a perfectly normal child. She does have done odd beliefs, but at her age they are perfectly normal. Some believe in fairies and princesses, others believe in monsters." He glanced down at his notes again. "She also has gotten the idea that you are immortal and doctor strange creatures on many continents of the world. It strays a bit from the usual 'My mom is an undercover spy,' but is, in essence, the sane and nothing to worry about."

"Ah," Helen glanced down at her hands in her lap. She had forgotten that Dr. Brown was uninformed of her real profession, and it hadn't occurred to her that Ashley might give it away. Luckily, the doctor seemed to be perfectly satisfied with his explanation of it.

"I have given her a diary to write in for now," Dr. Brown told her. "It may help organize her thoughts and make her more able to voice her fears with other people—namely, you. We might see if she has made any progress in six months, yes? It is not a short cure."

"No, of course it isn't," smiled Helen. "Of course we'll return in six months. Is there anything I can do for now?"

"Not really, except do what you have to do to make her feel safe. Then you may gradually wean her off of it, encouraging her to face it herself. But don't push Ashley too far, that might have drastic consequences."

"Thank you," Helen said sincerely. "You've been most helpful."

Dr. Brown dipped his head. "Glad I could help."

Helen bade goodbye to the psychiatrist and made her way back to the lobby, where she found her daughter in one of the plush leather arm chairs, banging her heels against the front as she swung her legs restlessly.

"Did I pass, Mommy?" she asked as Helen took her hand to lead her out of the building.

"Pass what?" Helen asked, confused.

"The test." Ashley paused. "I must have. He gave me a cookie."

**Thanks for reading! Let me know if you liked it!**


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